Thread clip or snip

ABSTRACT

A THREAD CLIP OR SNIP CONSISTING OF HANDLE MEMBERS MADE OF PLASTIC WITH INSERTED CUTTING BLADES. THE HANDLE MEMBERS HAVE FINGER RESTS OR PADS ABOVE OR ADJACENT THE BLADES AND HAVE A TORSION SPRING INSERTED AROUND THE PIVOT FOR OPENING OF BLADES. A PLASTIC STOP ON ONE OF THE HANDLE MEMBERS IS PROVIDED FOR LIMITING THE CLOSING STROKE OF, OR REGULATING THE POINT OPENING BETWEEN THE BLADES.

Sept. 28, 1911 R. R. WISS 3,608,196

THREAD CLIP ON SNIP Filed July 17, 1969 INVENTOR. flaw/P0 A? M55 3,608,196 THREAD CLIP R SNIP Richard R. Wiss, Short Hills, N.J., assignor to J. Wiss & Sons (30., Essex, NJ. Filed July 17, 1969, Ser. No. 842,465 Int. Cl. B26b 13/04 US. Cl. 30-253 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A thread clip or snip consisting of handle members made of plastic with inserted cutting blades. The handle members have finger rests or pads above or adjacent the blades and have a torsion spring inserted around the pivot for opening of blades. A plastic stop on one of the handle members is provided for limiting the closing stroke of, or regulating the point opening between the blades.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention refers to cutting tools and particularly to snips or thread clips such are used in the garment and dressmaking industries.

Thread clips or snips are small scissors-like tools which are used in the garment and dressmaking industries for cutting threads. Usually such slips or snips are made of two substantially flat steel blades which are hinged together at the end opposite the cutting ends. Since the clips or snips are used in the hand of the garment worker for an extended period during daily work, it is obvious that the thin steel blades dig or press into the tips of the thumb and the forefinger of the operator causing the need for periodically relaxing of the fatiguing hand. This unfavorable working condition is solved by the present invention.

SUMMARY The invention consists in such novel features, construction arrangements, combinations of parts and improvements as may be shown and described in connection with the tool herein disclosed by way of example only and as illustrative of a preferred embodiment. The nature of the invention can be seen in the provision of an improved handy tool for rendering the daily work easier for the operator in the respective industry.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

It is an objcet of the invention to provide thread clips or snips with improved handles.

Another object of the invention is to provide the handles of the thread clip or snip with finger rests or pads for easier and more comfortable operation of the tool.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a thread clip wherein each of the pivoted blade carrying handles has a laterally projecting finger rest or pad arranged substantially one below the other for the aforementioned purpose.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a positive stop on one of the handles on the underside of one of the finger pads for limiting the closing stroke or regulating the point opening of the thread clip or snip.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a torsion spring on the pivot of the clip for urging the cutting blades thereof to open.

United States Patent Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of the specification and illustrates merely by way of example one embodiment of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the figures of the drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the thread clip or snip of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the tool shown in FIG. 1, taken along the line 22 in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail to the drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the invention may be realized, there is shown in FIG. 1 a thread clip or snip which has two handle members 11 and 12. Handle members 11 and 12 consist preferably of molded relatively hard plastic. They are hingedly joined at one end thereof preferably by a pivot 13 of the pin-and-socket type which is molded on the inside faces of members 11 and 12. Grooves 14 are provided in the inside faces of members 11 and 12, into which a wound torsion spring 15 is inserted. Spring 15 keeps urging by the free ends 16, 17 thereof the members 11 and 12 in the opening directions. Member 11 has a slot 18, and member 12 has a screw 19 threaded therein extending through slot 18. The head 20 of screw 19 holds members 11 and 12 together, which slot 18 permits a limited swinging movement of members 11 and 12 about pivot 13. Cutting blades 21 and 22 are fastened by screws 23 or otherwise secured on the other ends of handle members 11 and 12, respectively, for cutting engagement with one another. On the upper edge of member 11 is a substantially flat finger rest or pad 24 arranged above cutting blade 21, and a similar finger pad 25 is arranged below cutting blade 22 on the lower edge of member 12. A finger grip 26 is provided on handle member 12. A small stop or pad is provided at one of the opposing edges of the finger pads or rests. In the drawings this stop 27 is shown on the upper edge of member 12 in the vicinity of finger rest 25. Stop 27 may be located at the underside of member 11 in the vicinity of finger rest 24.

Stop 27 will abut against finger pad 24 when the snip is closed, for limiting the closing movement of blades 21 and 22 or regulating the point opening.

According to the present invention there is provided a thread clip or snip having blade-carrying handles pivoted or swingable about a common axis, each of the handles having a laterally projecting preferably substantially flat finger rest or pad located adjacent the blade, the rests or pads being arranged substantially one below the other and extending in opposite directions. A stop is provided on one of the handles in the vicinity of the finger pads or rests. It is preferable that the handles, rests and stop be made integral and of plastic and the blades be made of metal.

Considerable reduction of fatigue of the operators hand and convenience for use during operation can readily be seen and understood from the foregoing description and from the drawing.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a certain preferred example which gives satisfactory results, will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the in vention, that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a cutting tool including a pair of co-operating pivotally interconnected blade supporting handle units each of which carries a separable cutter blade and each of which is movable relative to the other between cutting and non-cutting positions the combination comprising; first and second handle units, said first handle unit including an elongated body portion, a blade receiving portion on one end of said body and means defining a pivot connector adjacent the opposite end thereof, said blade receiving portion of said first handle unit including means defining a recess complementary to a portion of said blade to receivingly support said blade on said first handle unit, a first finger pad integrally formed with said first handle unit and configured to lie below a portion of said blade opposite the cutting edge thereof, said first finger pad further configured to extend outwardly in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said blade, said second handle unit including an elongated body portion, a blade receiving portion on one end of said body and means defining a pivot connection adjacent the opposite end thereof, said blade receiving portion of said second handle unit including means defining a recess complementary to a portion of said blade to receivingly support said blade on said second handle unit, a second finger pad integrally formed with said second handle unit and configured to lie above a portion of said blade opposite the cutting edge thereof, said finger pad further configured to extend outwardly in direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said second handle unit and opposite to the extension of said first finger pad on said first handle unit whereby said respective finger pads on each of said handle units preclude contact between fingers on said finger pads and the blade on the opposite handle unit, and limit means carried by said first handle unit and engageable with the finger pad of said second handle unit to limit the relative movement of said handle units when said handle units are moved from said noncutting to said cutting position.

2. The cutting tool defined by claim 1 wherein said first and second handle means each include means defining a recess in each of said handle units adjacent the pivot connection therebetween, torsion spring means partially disposed within said recess in each of said handle units and encircling said pivot means to urge said handle units to said non-cutting position.

3. The cutting tool defined by claim 2 which includes co-operative non-cutting position limit means carried by and interconnecting said first and second handle units.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,370 11/1908 Frey 30-253 1,299,104 4/1919 Arnold 30-253 2,512,862 6/1950 Ingwer 30-253X 3,453,651 7/1969 Wertepny 30 253 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner I. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner 

